My review of Ravana Empire

I)   Ravana's Lanka was situated in the midst of Ocean at a distance of 100 Yojanas (1,300 km approx.) from the Southern tip of the then India.

Ravana's Lanka was not the present day Sri Lanka, as commonly believed.

------

II)   Many people are thinking and confidently stating that Ravana's Lanka is in fact present day Sri Lanka, situated in the South-eastern region of India.

However, the narration given by Sage Valmiki in Sundara Kanda gives a different picture about the location of Ravana's Lanka.

1) After flying 100 Yojanas over the ocean towards Southern direction, and reaching Lanka, Sri Hanuma observes the scenic beauty of flora of the Lanka. Sage Valmiki describes elaborately in Sundara Kanda.

संततान् विविधैर्वऋकैः सर्वर्तुफलपुष्पितैः |
उद्यानानि च रम्याणि ददर्श कपिकुञ्जरः || (Sundara Kanda 2nd Sarga 13th Sloka)

"Hanuma saw various glorious pleasure-groves filled by various trees that give fruits and flowers in all seasons and beautiful gardens ."

2) After reaching Asoka Garden, Sri Hanuma observes the beautiful flora in that Garden.

 नन्दनम् विविध उद्यानम् चित्रम् चैत्ररथम् यथा || ५-१५-११
अतिवृत्तम् इव अचिन्त्यम् दिव्यम् रम्यम् श्रिया वृतम् |
द्वितीयम् इव च आकाशम् पुष्प ज्योतिर् गण आयुतम् || ५-१५-१२
पुष्प रत्न शतैः चित्रम् पन्चमम् सागरम् यथा |
सर्व ऋतु पुष्पैर् निचितम् पादपैर् मधु गन्धिभिः || ५-१५-१३
नाना निनादैः उद्यानम् रम्यम् मृग गणैर् द्विजैः |
अनेक गन्ध प्रवहम् पुण्य गन्धम् मनो रमम् || (Sundara Kanda 15th Sarga 11 -14th Slokas)

"Like the garden of Nandana, a celestial garden, wonderful like Caitraratham, a garden of Kubera, surpassing all, unfathomable, an excellent one, a beautiful one consisting of glory together with flowers like clusters of stars, like a second sky wonderful with flowers, like hundreds of diamonds, like a second oceanwith flowers of all seasons, spread with trees having the smell of honey, beautiful with groups of animals of various sounds, diffused with many smells with an auspicious soul pleasing smell."


It is necessary to study the following phrase used by Sage Valmiki :

सर्वर्तुफलपुष्पितैः - Trees that give fruits and flowers in all seasons

Modern researches revealed that the equatorial zone on the Earth has the special climatic feature of allowing the trees to bear flowers and fruits in all seasons.
------------------

The various causes now enumerated are sufficient to enable us to understand how thegreat characteristic features of the climate of the equatorial zone are brought about; how it is that so high a temperature is maintained during the absence of the sun at night, and why so little effect is produced by the sun's varying altitude during its passage from the northern to the southern tropic.

As a result of this condition of the earth and atmosphere, there is no check to vegetation, and little if any demarcation of the seasons. Plants are all evergreen; flowers and fruits, although more abundant at certain seasons, are never altogether absent;while many annual food-plants as well as some fruit-trees produce two crops a year. In other cases, more than one complete year is required to mature the large and massive fruits, so that it is not uncommon for fruit to be ripe at the same time that the tree is covered with flowers, in preparation for the succeeding crop.

(Source: The Climate and Physical Aspects of the Equatorial Zone, by Alfred Russel Wallace)

------------------------------

3) Sri Hanuma flew 100 Yojanas over the ocean.

1 Yojana = 13 Kms (approx.)

Hence, Sri Hanuma flew 1,300 Kms. over the ocean.

We have to calculate the aerial distance from Southern tip of India to Northern tip of Lanka only, as Sri Hanuma flew 100 Yojanas over the ocean to reach Ravana's Lanka.

The Latitude and Longitude of Sri Lanka at Jaffna, the Northern tip of Sri Lanka, is 09°45'N and 80°02'E.

———-

4) Current day Srilanka was connected to India by land route.

This is backed by the evidences given on the wikipedia site.

"The bridge is 30 miles (48 km) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar(southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast).

Some of the sandbanks are dry and the sea in the area is very shallow, being only 1 to 10 metres (3 to 30 ft) deep in places, which hinders navigation.

It was reportedly passable on foot up to the 15th century until storms deepened the channel: temple records seem to say that Adam’s Bridge was completely above sea level until it broke in a cyclone in 1480."

Source : Adam's Bridge

wikipedia.org

This confirms that srilanka and india were connected by land route .The current adam's bridge doesn't confirm the dimensions given in Ramayana.

Hence, Sri Lanka cannot be Ravana's Lanka.

--------------

III)   One of Ravana's army camp, headed by Khara and Dhushana, consisting of 14,000 warriors was stationed in Dandaka Forest. Sri Rama eliminated that army camp.

IV)   32 crores of able bodied demons were under the control of Ravana.

दश राक्षस कोट्यः च द्वाविंशतिः अथ अपराः |

वर्जयित्वा जरा वृद्धान् बालान् च रजनीचरान् || ३-५५-१४

तेषाम् प्रभुः अहम् सीते सर्वेषाम् भीम कर्मणाम् |

"Oh, Seetha, ten crores of first-rated demons are there, furthermore, twenty-two crores of demons of ghastly exploits are there, thus all put together, three hundred twenty millions of demons are there in Lanka, omitting the weakish, oldish, youngish demons. For all of them I am the lord." Thus Ravana started his self-eulogy.

V)    Both Ravana and Indrajit were Vaamacharis, ie., followers of tantrik upasana due to which they got superhuman powers within a short time.

Indrajit actually performed a tantrik homam in Lanka before becoming invisible to everyone.